Whoo, next chapter of this fun little thing. I don't think this fic will be too lengthy, but then again I said HoTwB and Trapped were going to be oneshots, soooo...who knows? In any case, enjoy!
freya kurenai: Wh00t! I thought KiyotakaEyes would be a nice change of pace from, you know...my not updating. XD, and from all the other yaoi I do. I have done this couple before, but it's too cute not to do again. Thanks for reviewing!
Polaris18: Hm... not putting him in. Different set of brothers from another rp... sorry! Thanks for reviewing!
A/N: The song used in this chapter is "When You're Evil" by Voltaire. If you haven't heard this song go to youtube and find it! It's the best song in the world. I've seen a great video starring Kadaj from FF: AC and this song, if that's your cup of tea, and also a couple of fma amvs with it.
A quick rap on Kiyotaka's door alerted him that someone wanted to talk to him. Unfortunately for the prince, this seemed to be a rather common custom between people that he didn't particularly enjoy being a part of. Sighing slightly as the knock came again, he opened an eye to stare at the door, "What?" he demanded as a way of greeting.
The door swung open and a messy brown head of hair snuck its way in through the crack. Ayumu looked to his older brother and tilted his head, "You don't have to be so mean." He said, a small pout ready to form on his lips.
"I don't have to do anything." Kiyotaka countered, not in the mood for the teen, "What do you want?"
"Mother said that you need to get down to the main hall and be ready to greet the guests." The younger Narumi recited the order, "They'll be here soon."
Another sigh escaped the birthday boy's lips, "Whatever." He muttered, pushing himself into a sitting position, his hazel eyes closing in annoyance at the upcoming event.
"Don't want to deal with people you don't even know talking at you and wanting you to respond for hours?" the smaller boy asked, a bit hypothetically since the answer was obvious.
"No, I don't want to have to pick one of those high-priority, whiney, helpless, pathetic little girls to marry." Kiyotaka corrected him.
The other boy turned this response over in his head for a moment before responding, "Fake sick?"
An eyebrow quirked at the suggestion. Though, Kiyotaka was wondering if he was really sick for considering taking it. Shaking his head, the taller one stood, "No." With that he glanced at the door before sighing once more and exiting through it. Ayumu followed shortly after, trailing behind him as he made his way through a maze of halls until finally they reach a large set of carpeted stairs leading down to a floor below.
The archway that made up the entrance to the large castle led into a lush, decorated interior with seating room for plenty. A door off to the side led into an even larger room used for balls and dancing for other occasions, such as birthdays. Opposite that door sat another to the left of the entrance and back a bit, leading to a high-ceilinged dining room with a long wooden table and seats for the whole town if need be. In the back, behind the stairs was yet another door heading into a spacious kitchen where hired chefs, or even sometimes the brothers, would make meals behind the diners' wildest imaginations. Going back up the stairs, one would encounter a series of hallways, branching off to the many rooms of the castle. Mostly guest rooms, but some larger ones for the family members' specific interests. A room sitting close to the brothers' rooms held a grand piano, identical to the one found in the ballroom. Venturing to the right of the stairs, a short trip would bring you to a set of thick wooden doors, designed to block out much sound. Behind them laid perhaps the largest library in the country, complete with almost any book you could hope to find. If anything, the royal castle was well stocked with entertainment for guests and residents alike.
Now, however, Kiyotaka was far from entertained. Quite the contrary, he was rather annoyed with the way things had panned out. It had only been a mere two days before the announcement of the event that he himself had been informed that he must choose a wife of the women that would attend. Of course, his parents made sure to invite only the richest, snobbiest girls for him to pick from. Oh yes, this was going to be fun.
The large grandfather clock set against the wall at the top of the stairs chimed, signaling that it was now six o' clock-- the start of the party. Moments later, hundreds of frilly dresses and well-groomed hair filled the main hall, most escorted by an equally well-dressed and mannered man. A fake, yet quite convincingly charming, smile was plastered onto Kiyotaka's face as each of the guests came up to him to wish him a happy birthday, ask him how he was, introduce themselves at some point in the conversation, and basically annoy the hell out of him. Everything was going according to plan and the Narumi parents were watching happily as their son pretended to be interested in something a pretty girl in a light pink dress with white lace and trim was ranting about. Kiyotaka could have sworn that the girl lapped herself in speaking and jumbled a few words, saying one before the other, but continued to smile and nod, offering a few words of encouragement such as 'really' and 'is that so?' while occasionally gazing around to scour out a less annoying woman, or perhaps even his brother to save him.
The relief he found came in neither form of a woman nor the younger brother. A man that looked well into his thirties, whom he had known since he was a young boy came up to him, tilting his head to the side as a small smirk covered his lips at the brunette's annoyed expression. His shoulder-length dirty blonde hair fell loosely, his bangs hiding his eyes and ending right above the tip of his nose. The rest of his hair layered down and came to rest right above his shoulders, the ends just brushing the top of his tan suit, complimented with an olive green tie and white shirt.
He sauntered up to Kiyotaka, hands resting in his pockets and tilted his head once more, his hair moving slightly with the angle of his head, revealing a single golden eye, "Having fun, birthday boy?" he asked in a slightly mocking, yet calm voice.
Hazel eyes rolled and the man of the night glanced back to the chattering girl, who happened to still be talking up a storm, not even noticing that he was no longer paying attention or that the other man had arrived. Sighing in desperation, Kiyotaka looked back to the newcomer, "It's a blast." He replied, dryly.
The man, known best as Kai, chuckled slightly and patted the brunette on the head, "Look at the bright side, it's only one night." Just as that bit of information started to lighten the younger one's mood a tad, Kai continued, "In which you'll have to choose a wife, who you'll be stuck with for the rest of your life."
Another sigh found its way through his lips at the thought of marriage. Kiyotaka wasn't one for commitment, not because he was afraid of it, but because he couldn't picture himself being with anyone for the rest of his life. In a nut shell, he had yet to find anyone he could stand to be around for more than ten minutes. At that point in time, a commotion started up as many of the guests diverted their attention to the entrance where two boys stood. A soft groan arose from Kiyotaka's throat at the sight and Kai simply chuckled to himself.
The first boy looked to be about eighteen, and was rather skinny and fragile looking if you didn't know his personality. He had wavy red hair cut to his jawline and orange eyes that looked more like burnt orange as they were so dark a shade they were nearly black. He was dressed in a plain black suit with blood red pin stripes, a matching crimson shirt and black tie. Next to him was another peculiar boy with equally odd looks. His hair was a reddish color as well, but a darker, blood red color. It fell down past his shoulders in a slight wave and a few bangs hung down in his steel grey eyes. His suit matched his hair quite well, being a blood red color finished off with a matching shirt and tie as well as a crimson top hat and black cane. The second boy looked to be about a year older and had his arm linked with the first, a knife held carelessly in the hand opposite the one holding his cane.
A quick glance was shot to Kiyotaka from the younger one before the elder whispered in his ear. A small nod agreed to whatever the taller boy had suggested and they disappeared into the crowd. At this point, Kai looked back to the brunette, "Belial still avoiding and hating you?" he wondered, meaning the younger of the pair that had just entered, though the answer should have been obvious by the reaction of the boy now known as Belial.
A small shake of his head and Kiyotaka nodded in confirmation, "Yes, he loves and hates me at the same time."
"But doesn't he only hate you because he loves you?" came the next question, "You are forcing him to do such."
The younger one shrugged, "So?" he asked, as if it were completely normal and acceptable to force someone to love you, no matter the reason.
Kai was the one to sigh this time at his young friend's actions while he turned his attention to the entrance of the castle once more. An eyebrow shot up at the one who entered, "Who's that?" he wondered.
Hazel eyes darted to the one in question as Eyes walked through the arch. Kiyotaka mimicked the motion as he looked the boy up and down, "I'm not sure." He confessed, having never seen the girl, as far as he knew, before.
"Go ask." Kai suggested, "She doesn't seem quite as annoying as the rest." Though, it was rather impossible to make such a claim based on their observation of the girl thus far. She had just arrived and hadn't had the chance to approach Kiyotaka as of yet. Though, the latter did notice the unsure way this strange girl was glancing around, as if uncertain if she should be there, or perhaps just out of place in such a formal setting. Little did Kiyotaka know she was uncomfortable for an entirely different reason.
Just as the elder Narumi was about to approach Eyes, a ting, ting, ting rang out and every head in the hall turned to the stairs where Kiyotaka's parents, a.k.a. the king and queen, were standing in all their royal glory. The guests immediately bent into a bow at their presence, as most did when first meeting Kiyotaka and Ayumu. The elder listened as his mother welcomed the guests formally, emphasized her gratitude for them coming, and turning to her husband who proceeded to do the same then motioned to the ballroom. He added that dinner would be served after a while and invited the guests to enjoy the refreshments they had set up in the mean time-- a table lined with wine, water, fruits, meats, and cheeses located on the far wall of the ballroom near the tables in the back. With that said, the couple ushered their guests and sons into said room.
Kiyotaka looked up to scan the area Eyes had been in, but found it filled with other girls and guys, the mysterious silver-haired angel gone from his sight. He glanced around the packed room, but made no real effort to search for her (just sticking with 'her' while addressing Eyes for now because it would get too confusing going back and forth) lest he seemed actually interested in someone-- he didn't need to give his mother more motivation. He followed Kai into the ballroom as a waltz started up, each girl pairing up with the guy she came with or if she came solo, a random guy. A short girl in a dark purple dress with curly dark brown hair held in pig tails by matching purple ribbons tied into bows and dark eyes approached Kiyotaka, smiling too innocently and held out her hand, silently asking for a dance. Conceding with his destiny to be mobbed by unwanted girls, the taller man took her hand in his and led her onto the dance floor.
Several songs passed and Kiyotaka had seen hide nor hair of Eyes. He had begun to think that perhaps she had just gone home, finding no interest in the party. The current song ended and the new girl he had been dancing with curtseyed and blushed as he kissed her hand, bowing and offering a small smile that she could easily believe was just for her, though he gave out a thousand a minute. Her face as red as a tomato, she smiled and ran off to squeal to her friends about how charming and gentleman-like the prince had been. Just as yet another girl in the endless slew was approaching him to ask for her own dance, the lighting failed and the room became pitch black. A few of the girls, including the one next to Kiyotaka, screamed in a deafeningly high pitched voice. Just to add to the annoyance, the girl basically latched herself onto him, perhaps feigning terror to get closer to the mysterious boy. A moment later a single spot light came on, shining down into the center of the room where the two boys from earlier, Belial and his companion, were standing, the elder with a slight smirk on his face.
When he spoke his voice was as fluid as his movements and the words that came out as deadly as the knife he spun in his hand. But they weren't just simple words; in fact, he was singing an eerily monotonous yet haunting tune.
" When the Devil is too busy
And Death's a bit too much
They call on me by name you see,
For my special touch.
To the Gentlemen I'm Miss Fortune
To the Ladies I'm Sir Prize
But call me by any name
Any way it's all the same"
He glanced to his side, where Belial chuckled lightly and shrugged, continuing the song in a cheery voice.
"I'm the fly in your soup
I'm the pebble in your shoe
I'm the pea beneath your bed
I'm a bump on every head
I'm the peel on which you slip
I'm a pin in every hip
I'm the thorn in your side
Makes you wriggle and writhe"
The elder wrapped his arm around Belial's shoulders as the latter leaned into his partner, their voices joining together for the chorus.
"And it's so easy when you're evil
This is the life, you see
The Devil tips his hat to me
I do it all because I'm evil
And I do it all for free
Your tears are all the pay I'll ever need"
Belial picked back up, quickly kissing the other boy on the cheek as he strolled in the crowd, quickly twirling his knife to make it known, smirking as nearly every guest backed away from the potentially dangerous boy.
"While there's children to make sad
While there's candy to be had
while there's pockets left to pick
While there's grannies to trip down the stairs
I'll be there, I'll be waiting round the corner
It's a game. I'm glad I'm in it
'Cause there's one born every minute"
The longer-haired boy once again went into the chorus and continued on with the song, spinning on his heel to come face-to-face with a young girl and raised the knife to her collarbone, dragging the blade across the skin lightly, leaving a small red trail of blood that stood out on her pale, porcelain skin.
"And it's so easy when you're evil
This is the life, you see
The Devil tips his hat to me
I do it all because I'm evil
And I do it all for free
Your tears are all the pay I'll ever need
I pledge my allegiance, to all things dark
And I promise on my damned soul
To do as I am told, Lord Beelzebub
Has never seen a soldier quite like me
Not only does his job, but does it happily."
The grey-eyed one joined Belial back in the middle of the circle that the rest had formed around them. As Belial walked toward him, he breezed right past the shorter one. Their eyes locked for a moment, sharing their excitement at the deadly fun they were about to have--plans only known to them. Belial ended up near the crowd his counterpart had just scared half to death while the latter stopped inches away from the group on the opposing side of the circle. Once again, they sung the chorus in unison.
"And it's so easy when you're evil
This is the life, you see
The Devil tips his hat to me
I do it all because I'm evil
And I do it all for free
Your tears are all the pay I'll ever need"
Suddenly, as from out of nowhere, the shadows that engulfed much if not all of the crowd seemed to spring to life by their intertwined voices, rising with the elder's hand that was now adorned with a black glove and stretched high above his head. The two continued on with their twisted song.
"And I do it all for free
Your tears are all the pay I'll ever need
And I do it all for free
Your tears are all the pay I'll ever need"
The shadows formed overhead, completely surrounding the guests, frightened gasps and hushed whispers of the phenomenon echoing off the black walls. The shadow-controlling teen brought his hand down as the element he seemed to have a firm grasp on mimicked his movements. A split second before the darkness crashed down on the now-terrified patrons, the boy stopped the downward motion of his hand as the shadows maintained their distance a mere foot from the people crowded in the now doorless room. He slowly twirled his hand in circles as the black forms followed his lead, his singing matching the pace of his motions.
"It gets so lonely being evil
What I'd do to see a smile
Even for a little while
And no one loves you when you're evil..."
He trailed off, glancing at Belial for a moment. Grey locked with orange and a small sadistic smirk covered the equally sadistic boy's lips as he finished his song, the tempo quickly speeding back up and seeming almost violent compared to the previous quatrain.
"I'm lying though my teeth!
Your tears are all the company I need"
With that his hand flew down to rest at his side, the knife slipping through his fingers and digging into the floor as the shadows silenced the screaming they had caused moments before. The floor became blanketed in shadows as all but Belial and the boy at his side disappeared into the deafening darkness. A snap of gloved fingers and the object of destruction melted away into the floor and walls. The lights slowly began to come on as the boy once again linked arms with the red head and made their way through the door back to the main hall. The one responsible shot a glance back to the room as the ones who had exited upon Kiyotaka's warning (him, his brother, mother (as he couldn't locate his father), and Kai) reentered the ballroom.
A startled gasp rose from the prince's mother at the sight before them. Kiyotaka tore his gaze away from the two boys and glanced into the room. Inside, the lights had once again illuminated the immense room, the shadows no longer alive with malice, but resting dormant as naturally as they had been before the incident. The guests had been returned with the light and the floor washed in their blood. Each and every girl and boy that had attended the party had a ribbon tied around their eyes, blood red for the girls and black for the males. Blood soaked through their blindfolds, drizzling down their cheeks, each and every face contorted into one of agony and shock. Kiyotaka could only guess that one would find nothing but empty sockets should they remove the silk coverings. In addition, every girl was paired with a guy (most the ones they arrived with), their hands bound with the same black ribbon, a design in the same crimson color embroidered on it. Blood dripped from their finger tips, indicating slit wrists.
Ayumu gazed upon the scene in disgust, noticing the layout of the crowd. They had been formed into a perfectly round circle, each and every one bound together by their wrists. While the couples had black ribbon with crimson design, the two on either side of any pair that were uninvolved with their eternal neighbor were bound with crimson ribbons and a matching black design. Swirls of shadows loomed in the pool of blood that had been drained into the center of the room from the bloodied eyes and wrists. The three males heard a choked sob from the fourth survivor as their attention turned to the center of the area. The knife the grey-eyed boy had thrown down was now protruding from the right side of the king's chest. Perhaps it would have been sticking from his heart, but a missing heart-shaped chunk of flesh and breastbone over where the organ should have been made it clear that was impossible as his heart had been clearly removed. A small frown tugged at Kiyotaka's lips as he once again pulled the ballroom doors shut, blocking the nightmare-come-true from view of his mother's eyes. The woman herself had broken down in sobs and the younger son was attempting to comfort her while holding back his own tears.
Kai sighed softly to himself, but quickly gained a small grin on his face. Kiyotaka didn't dare ask what could have the man smiling, but sure enough, he found out. "Hey, it's not so bad." He offered, "In fact, I thought of something that makes that in there seem rather miniscule."
"And what is that?" the younger one bit, mentally cursing himself for doing so.
"You're king, now you have to get married."
Wow, that was a bit of a lengthy chapter. Hope you didn't mind and liked it. Review!